James ward packard



(No Model.)

J. W. PACKARD. APPARATUS FOR EXHAUSTING AIR.

No. 892,686. Patented Nov. 13, 1888.

UNITED STATES PATENT tripe.

JAMES WARD PACKARD, OF NFAV YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR EXHAUSTING AIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 392,686, dated November 13, 1888 (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it k nown that LJAMES VVARD PACKARD, a citizen of the United States, residing atNeW York, in the county of New Yorkand State of New York, have invented certain ncwand useful Improvements in Apparatus for Exhausting Air; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of myinvention is to produce an apparatus by which the air may be quickly exhausted from a suitable receiver. I have shown it as applied to an apparatus for treat ing the carbon strips to be used in the manufacture of incandescent electric lamps; but it may obviously be applied to any other process in which it is desirable to produce a vac unm at the least possible expense of time and power.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents in section an apparatus in which my idea and invention are embodied. Figs. 2- and 3 are detail views of the two-way cocks. (Also shown in Fig. 1.) Fig. 4 showsa modification, in which one-way cocks are used.

In the preparation of the carbon strips to be used in incandescent electric lights it is customary to subject them to the action of some gas containing carbon,while a current of electricity is passed through the strips for certain purposes well known to those skilled in the art. The carbon strips must of course be placed in the receiver, from which the air has to be exhausted and to which any suitable gas is admitted. As the operation upon each individual carbon occupies but a short space of time, it is evident that with the ordinary apparatus a large percentage of such time will be wasted in exhausting the air from the receiver at each operation, and that the pumps will work against varying pressures running from a nearly complete vacuum down to atmospheric pressure and consequent equilib rium. To avoid this difficulty I have designed the apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Ais the recciver,having the air-tight stopper P. The carbonstrip O is held in suitable clamps on the stopper P, which clamps are connected by wires E and E to the dynamo or other suitable source of electricity.

The bottle B contains naphtha or other volatile solution ofcarbomthe evaporation of which is still further accelerated by the wick b. This bottle is counectechby a suitable pipe passing through the plug P, with the interior of the receiver A. The said plug or stopper P is also pierced by a pipe connecting the receiver A with the two-way cock D. This pipe is also controlled by a second two-way cock, F. Connections from the twoway cock D run to the pump V, which is so constructed as to work to a high vacuum,and also to the vacuum-tank T. The Vacuum-tank is of much larger ca pacity than the receiver A, and the air is being continually exhausted from it by the airpump W. Consequently a vacuum is maintained in the tank T, though not as perfect a one as is desired should be ultimately obtained in the receiver A.

The operation of my device is as follows: The plug P being withdrawn from the re ceiver A, the carbon strip 0 is inserted in the clamps,as shown. The plug or stopper is then replaced at the mouth of the receiver, which is of course filled with air at atmospheric pressure. The pumps V and W are running continuously. The two-way cock F is now turned to the position'shown in Fig. 2 and the two-way cock D to the position shown in Fig. 1. Consequently an equilibrium of pressure isimmediately established in the receiver A, tank T, and their connections. As the tank T is so many times larger than the receiver A the resultant pressure and density are very slightly in excess of that which existed in the tank T before the cock was opened, and as far as the receiver A is concerned the turning of the cooks, as described, has instantaneously produced a nearly complete vacuum within it. The cock D is then turned into the position shown in Fig. 3. The high-vacuum pump 'V then exhausts the remaining air in the receiver A,and slowly draws through it the carbon-bearing vapor from the bottle B.

Of course the exact proportion between the capacities of the-tank T and the receiver A is immaterial. It is only necessary that the tank should be many times larger than the receiver, so that the resultant degree of vacuum when the two are connected will not vary considerably from the original degree of vacuum existing in the tank. Thus, ifthe capacity of the tank were nine hundred and ninety-nine times greater than that of the receiver the resultant tension of the contents of thetank and receiver after the two are connected will only be onethousandth greater than that originally exist ing in the vacuum-tank T.

When the treatment of the carbon is complete, the cock F is turned through an angle of ninety degrees from the position shown in Fig. 2 into the position shown in Fig. 1, the result of which is to close the system of pipes connecting the receiver with the vacuum-tank and the high-vacuum pump and at the same timeadmit the air t9 the receiver A. Thus the stopper P can be withdrawn without resistance, the completed carbon removed from the clamps, another substituted, the stopper replaced, and the operation repeated.

It is evident that the cock F might be dis pensed with and the two-way cock D turned so as to close the connections leading to the vacuum-tank and the high-vacuum pump; but the operation is rendered more rapid and convenient by the use of the said cock F, which, when turned so as to admit air through the openingf, Fig. 2, to the interior of the receiver A, at the same time closes the entire system of pipes and keeps up a nearly complete vacuum in them.

Another advantage of my apparatus is that the pumps are Working continuously against a nearly uniform pressure, and that the slow action of the high-pressure pump V draws but the requisite small quantity of carbon vapor from the bottle B. Ifit were attempted to pro duce quickly a vacuum in the receiver by the direct application of a powerful pump, the continued action of such pump would draw a much larger quantity of vapor through the receiver than is requisite for the treating of the carbon strip 0, thereby wasting and rapidly exhausting the supply of liquid in the bottle B.

It is evident that, if desirable for any purpose,the two-way cocks here usedmight be replaced by a suitable arrangement of one-Way cocks in the several branches of the system of pipes. Thus the two-way cock D might bereplaced by the two one-way cocks D D shown in Fig. 4.

Having therefore described my invention both in essence and detaiLwhat I claim as new, and desire to protect by Letters Patent,'is-

1. In an apparatus for quickly producing vacuum, the combination of the receiver, the vacuum-tank of many times greater capacity, the high-vacuum pump, the system of pipes connecting the receiver, the tank, and the pump, and the two-way cock throwing the revacuum-tank of many times greater capacity,

the high-vacuum pump, the system of pipes connecting the receiver, the tank, and the pump, and cut-off means, constructed and located as describedfi'or alternately throwing the receiver into connection with the tank and the pumps, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES WARD PACKARD.

Witnesses:

CHAS. H. SoNN, ED. BEESLEY. 

